Translanguaging in Family Communication: Hungarian American Parents’ Perspectives
Abstract
This presentation reports on a phenomenological study that examined Hungarian American parents’ views and practices related to translanguaging in family communications. Translanguaging in classrooms has been a widely researched topic in the framework proposed by Garcia and Wei (Garcia, 2009; Garcia and Wei, 2014). Recently, another space for translanguaging, the family context, became an interest of investigation (e.g. Lee, et al., 2021; Wilson, 2021).
We included 12 families who had children aged 12-17 with at least an intermediate level of proficiency in Hungarian. We used examples of children’s written communications and semi-structured interviews with questions related to language use, parents’ reaction to translanguaging, and their perceptions of why and how translanguaging occurs in oral and written family communications. We used thematic analysis to find themes that emerged related to our questions. The findings indicated that most families found the use of translanguaging natural and positive, and these families used supportive and constructive behaviors when translanguaging happened. Such flexible language practices were attributed to several factors, including a lack of language proficiency to discuss complex thoughts, assurance of comprehension, and comfort. Only a few parents rejected the practice of translanguaging, expressing monoglossic language ideologies. Although the findings are not generalizable, the significance of this study is the insight into parents’ views and practices in a minority language community that is not well-researched about the topic of translanguaging. Because parents are the main stakeholders in language maintenance, their views and practices are essential for proposing directions and resources for language preservation.
References
- Garcia, O. (2009). Bilingual education in the 21st century: A global perspective. Wiley- Blackwell.
- Garcia, O., & Wei, L. (2014). Translanguaging: Language bilingualism and education. Palgrave Macmillan.
- Lee, H., Pang, M., & Park, J. (2021). Translanguaging and family language policy: An investigation of Korean short-term stayers language practice at home. Journal of Language, Identity & Education,
- Wilson, S. (2021). To mix or not to mix: Parental attitudes towards translanguaging and language management choices. International Journal of Bilingualism, 25(1), 58-76.
Start Date
26-3-2022 12:00 PM
Translanguaging in Family Communication: Hungarian American Parents’ Perspectives
This presentation reports on a phenomenological study that examined Hungarian American parents’ views and practices related to translanguaging in family communications. Translanguaging in classrooms has been a widely researched topic in the framework proposed by Garcia and Wei (Garcia, 2009; Garcia and Wei, 2014). Recently, another space for translanguaging, the family context, became an interest of investigation (e.g. Lee, et al., 2021; Wilson, 2021).
We included 12 families who had children aged 12-17 with at least an intermediate level of proficiency in Hungarian. We used examples of children’s written communications and semi-structured interviews with questions related to language use, parents’ reaction to translanguaging, and their perceptions of why and how translanguaging occurs in oral and written family communications. We used thematic analysis to find themes that emerged related to our questions. The findings indicated that most families found the use of translanguaging natural and positive, and these families used supportive and constructive behaviors when translanguaging happened. Such flexible language practices were attributed to several factors, including a lack of language proficiency to discuss complex thoughts, assurance of comprehension, and comfort. Only a few parents rejected the practice of translanguaging, expressing monoglossic language ideologies. Although the findings are not generalizable, the significance of this study is the insight into parents’ views and practices in a minority language community that is not well-researched about the topic of translanguaging. Because parents are the main stakeholders in language maintenance, their views and practices are essential for proposing directions and resources for language preservation.
References
- Garcia, O. (2009). Bilingual education in the 21st century: A global perspective. Wiley- Blackwell.
- Garcia, O., & Wei, L. (2014). Translanguaging: Language bilingualism and education. Palgrave Macmillan.
- Lee, H., Pang, M., & Park, J. (2021). Translanguaging and family language policy: An investigation of Korean short-term stayers language practice at home. Journal of Language, Identity & Education,
- Wilson, S. (2021). To mix or not to mix: Parental attitudes towards translanguaging and language management choices. International Journal of Bilingualism, 25(1), 58-76.
Comments
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